Rescue and Recovery of Capsized Boat on Red River

Bossier Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call of a capsized speed boat Sunday afternoon near Red River South Marina off Highway 71 in south Bossier Parish.

Initial reports indicated there were four to five people stranded in the water just after bad weather with high winds, rain and lightning came to the area. At the same time, fire and rescue crews with South Bossier Fire District Two and South Bossier EMS, along with agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, were responding to the scene.

BPSO

Dep. Tony Vandagriff with the Bossier Sheriff’s Office was the first patrol deputy on scene, as he awaited Marine Patrol units with the department that were enroute. A rescue boat with South Bossier Fire was the first in the water, and Fire Chief Ryan Foster says his crew headed to the site where the boat was submerged, not quite a mile from the marina. As they were headed to the scene, they saw a jet ski carrying three people heading towards the marina. They continued to the scene of the capsized boat and saw only the tip of the boat sticking out of the water.

By this time, the firefighters became aware that there were only two people on the capsized boat; they were the ones on the jet skis who made their way safely to shore. The BSO Marine Patrol had launched their boat by this time, and they arrived at the scene of the capsized speed boat, and they towed the submerged boat back to the marina.

The boat had taken on so much water that when deputies towed it back to the marina, the speed boat once again sunk in the water; deputies were able to get it tied to the dock, though. The three different agencies teamed together and devised a plan to pull the submerged boat out of the water and onto the trailer of the boat owner. The used a winch on the WLF’s truck as they pulled the boat safely out of the water around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

The couple who was in the capsized boat had spent about 10 minutes in the choppy waters before they were rescued by other boaters. They said their boat became disabled due to an engine malfunction and capsized when they were being towed by the other motorists.

This all took place during the time the rough weather quickly formed in the area. Fortunately, the boaters were okay thanks to other boaters, but the ordeal of getting their boat safely out of the water took a little more time…but BSO deputies, WLF agents and South Bossier firefighters teamed to work together to get the sunken boat back onto the dry land.

Everyone was safe, thanks to the help of other boaters and teamwork of the various responding agencies.